Overseas Job and Work Visa Agent Scam
Agents promise well-paid jobs abroad and collect visa and ticket fees, then vanish or send people with fake papers. Learn the checks to make.
A foreign job can change a family's life, which is why fake offers are cruel. Posts and agents promise high salaries, free housing and a quick work visa to countries abroad. You are asked to pay for medical tests, visa processing, tickets and an agent fee. Some people receive documents that look real but are fake, and others find that the company does not exist or that the visa type does not allow work.
How the scam works
The scammer advertises on social media or through a local office with posters of airports and planes. Names of well-known employers may be used. A 'consultant' tells you that a quota is open for a limited period and that only a few places are left. You are asked to register with copies of your passport and certificates and to pay a first instalment, usually to a personal account.
Next you receive a job offer and a copy of an employment contract. Further payments follow for a visa fee, medical, police clearance, insurance and a flight ticket. Each is explained as a requirement of the other country. The agent keeps your passport or says it has been sent for stamping, so you cannot easily withdraw, and keeps the date of departure moving back.
The payoff is the sum of the instalments, sometimes lakhs of rupees. In the worst cases people are sent on tourist visas and are stranded without work. Others are stopped at an airport because the visa is fake. Genuine overseas recruitment is done through registered channels and official processes, and the worker is not asked to give large payments to a private individual.
An example of what you may see
Example message (invented): 'Urgent hiring: Warehouse workers abroad. Salary Rs 90,000, free food and room. Visa in 15 days. Send passport copy and pay Rs 25,000 first instalment to confirm. Balance after visa. Only 8 seats left, offer closes Friday.' The tight deadline, the personal account for payment and the small number of seats are signs that you should stop and verify through official channels. Nothing here is a real notice, and you can safely ignore it.
This example is written for illustration. Real messages change their wording, names and links all the time.
Red flags
- A foreign job with very high pay and no real interview.
- Large fees are demanded before any visa is shown.
- Payments go to a personal bank account or UPI ID.
- The agent keeps your passport or original papers.
- A tourist or visit visa is offered for a work job.
- The office has no registration that you can verify.
What to do right now
- Do not pay or hand over your passport to an unverified agent.
- Check whether the recruiter is registered through the official government channel for overseas employment.
- Verify the employer and the visa type independently.
- Ask for receipts and a written agreement and keep copies.
- Report suspicious agents to cybercrime.gov.in and your local police.
If you already paid or shared a code
- Call 1930 if you paid online, giving the account details.
- Tell your bank through the number on your card so it can try to hold the transfer.
- File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in and with the police, keeping all receipts and chats.
- If your passport is with the agent, report it and ask for help from the nearest passport office.
National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930. Report online at cybercrime.gov.in. Do it fast: the sooner your bank is told, the better the chance that money can be held.
Where this scam shows up
Read how it looks on each channel:
How Safeavio helps
Safeavio Sentinel's scam check reads the offer text you paste and lists signs like large fees before a visa, a personal payment account and a short deadline. The link check helps you review a recruiter's page address before opening it. Money Shield asks you to verify who you are paying before you send money. It cannot verify recruiters or visas, so confirm through official government channels.
Check it before you tap or pay
Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.
Download for AndroidWhat the app does
Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.
Questions people ask
How can I check a recruitment agent?
Use the official government source for registered overseas recruiters and confirm the employer and visa type independently. Do not rely on the agent's own papers or the phone numbers in their advert. Reporting helps others avoid the same trap.
Should an agent keep my passport?
Avoid giving your original passport to anyone who is not verified. Keeping it gives them power over you. Ask for a written receipt for any document and prefer submitting at official centres. If it feels rushed, that is itself a warning.
What if I only paid the first instalment?
Stop there. More payments are often asked for in steps. Keep the receipts, report to 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in and check with an official recruitment office before you go further. Check through a number or app you already trust.